Clinker tongs



Fate-mcd Feb. 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFQ.

ARTHUR L. SMITH, 0F MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE A.. L. SMITH IRON WORKS, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION 0F MASSACHUSETTS.

CLINKER. TONGS.

Application filed. February 13, 1922. Serial No. 536,332.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that T, ARTHUR L. SMITH, a citizen of the United 'States of America, and resident of Melrose, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in @linker Tongs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fire tongs and more particularly to devices primarily intended for removing lumps of slate, clinkers and other incombustible.material from furnaces.

Tn the operation of domestic heaters and furnaces it frequently happens, due in part perhaps to t-he low grade of coal at present available, that lumps of slate or clinkers accumulate in the fire box to such an extent as seriously to interfere with the proper combustion of fresh fuel while at the same time restricting` the capacity of the fire box to a material extent. These lumps or clinkers are often of a size such that it is impossible to pass them between the grate bars, either by shaking the latter or by the use of a poker or slice bar, and consequently the o-nly feasible mode of removing them is by drawing them out through the fire door. For this purpose the ordinary fire tongs are inadequate by reason of their small size and insufficient length, while tongs such as are employed for metallurgical purposes are cumbersome, heavy and usually unavailable to the ordinary householder or janitor.

The object of the present invention is accordingly to provide fire tongs peculiarly adapted for removing lumps of incombustible material from the fire boxes of domestic heaters or furnaces, such tongs being of simple, light and durable character, easy to construct and which may be sold at a reasonable. price.

'In the accompanying drawings, there. is illustrated by way of example one embodiment of means well adapted for attaining the above object, and in which drawings,-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tongs device constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section to larger scale on the line A-B of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal cross section to large scale on the line of Fig. 1; and

Figure 4: is a cross section to large scale on the line E-F of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the tongs device is illustrated as comprising a bar 1 herein disclosed as of channel iron and comprising the laterally extending flanges 2,

3, which define the channel 4. Adjacent to one of its ends this bar is bent or twisted as indicated at 5 to provide the handle element 6 which projects substantially at right 65 angles to the main body of the bar and in the plane dened by the back or fiat surface of such bar. As indicated in Fig. 3, the channel 7 in the handle element 6 is directed toward the opposite end of the bar 1. Adjacent to such opposite end the bar is twisted as indicated at 8 to provide a jaw portion 9 extending substantially in alinement with the main body of the bar and having its channel face 11 turned at sub- 75 stantially to the channel face of the main body of the bar. This jaw member 9 is provided at 10 with a curved extremity.

A lever 12 of channel cross section is pivotally secured at the point 13'to the. bar 1, 80 the lever and the bar being arranged in back to back relation with their flat, unchanneled surfaces in contact. This lever is twisted or bent at the point 14 to provide a movable jaw member 15, the channeled S5 face 17 of which is arranged in opposing relation to the channel surface 11 of the jaw 9. This jaw 15 is also curved at its outer extremity as shown at 16.

The opposite arm 18 of the lever is pro- 00 vided with an opening 19 to which is secured the en-d of ay flexible actuating mem ber 20, such member being of Wire or other suitable material. This member is suitably guided in openings in a pair of bracket members 21, 22, secured to the flat face ot' the bar 1 by means of rivets 23. These brackets extend upwardly from the flange 2 of the bars, lying substantially in the plane of the handle element 6. At its free ex 10o tremity the connecting member 20 is bent to provide a hand grip Q4; having the ela ment Q5 adapted to be grasped by the hand of the user. This element 25 preferably lies in the vertical plane of the handle element G and closely adjacent thereto.

In the use of the device the operator introduces the open jaws into the irebcx and by manipulation of the hand grip 241 causes the movable jaw 15 to approach the fixed 11o jaw 9 Wherebythe clinker o1- other .material posing channel faces of the Jaws, the curved and the element 25 of the hand grip, the

left hand being free togigaspthes-bar l 'anda direct the jaws toward the material to be re- 'moved- 4 VVhenthe-.jawvs are-closed, the element 25 may lie Within-.the channel-.7 ofthe handA grip so asto `permit holdingthe jaws in Vclosed 'posi-tion .with the expenditure ofbut little effort Ourthe-part ofthe user'.4

The` inherent resiliency, of the connecting. element 2O may-,be-such-.as to permit-'a` firm grip to bel obtained upon.' the.4 material while the operator. holdsvboth .the member. 6 and. the member 25. .Within the grasp of- 'his-hand, but` if.v fur-ther @resiliencyA be desired-it is contemplated that spring means "maybe in-y troduced-Within. the; length` .of the-.connecteinggelementi20 wherebyto secu-1e&such,added elasticity in a .longitudinal direction lastma-y be required.

llVh-ile.` as herein.. illustrated, channely ironis4 preferably employed `in forming the/tongs device, .it `-is :contemplated .that materia-l of any. desired section.. may, be.` substituted therefor,..and vin its .broaden aspects it4 is-.to be .L111cle1stoocl-ftliat the* imiention--lisl not to be limited to the. employmentof-such-.chasm nel-iron.in.forming ,any oir. all of its-structural elementsk thegripping1- faceof the aw membeiga lever l of-ch-a-nneled cross-sectionpivotally secured in4 bac-k- -toback relation-'to thebar, saidlever having. 5 one. endthereof. so disposed-,ias .to present .its .channeled face .opposite-1 that of the -ja-W member whereby to constitute a `ccy operable, movable jaw member, brackets-.sw cured-to tl1e-fiat,f rear. face-.of .the-bala.- and proj eating in. the vertical plane-.of Athe .ha-m dle element, a flexible-connectionseeuireuitoV the` other end-of! the i leverH and-passing through guide openings in the several btaclml ets, said .connection havingg a. ..ha.nd grip@ at its free end having. the i hand engaging.. per?. tion thereof .disposed inthe.` plane.-A of v gthehandle-elementi. and constructed and. ar. ranged, to .be grasped simultaneously. Vwith the .handle-elementby the. `hand of. the.` user. and to be drawn 1towardthe.channel;oli such element.l s

Signed by me at.,-Boston,. Massachusetts, this- 8rd :day of February, 1922.

ARTHUR'Li SMITH. 1 

